A powerful short film created by young people in Warwickshire with SEND in collaboration with Coventry University has won the prestigious title of Best Overall Film at the SDG Film Festival 2024
The film, titled Wrong Size Fits All, triumphed over 74 submissions from across the globe, including entries from the UK, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Germany, USA and the United Arab Emirates.
The winners were announced at a special awards ceremony held at The LSPR Business and Communications Institute in Bekasi, Jakarta. The event, which was also live-streamed, allowed participants worldwide to join in the celebration.
Founded in 2018, the SDG Film Festival recognises films that inspire change and promote the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The festival not only celebrates creative filmmaking talent but also shines a light on key global issues and amplifies voices that advocate for positive action toward a better future.
The Wrong Size Fits All film is a collaboration between Warwickshire’s youth forum for individuals with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), entitled IMPACT, and BA Film Production students from Coventry University. Premiering in March this year, the film has already garnered significant attention with over 24,000 views. More than just a retelling of young people’s experiences in educational settings, the project offers valuable insights and suggests ways to improve educational outcomes for individuals with SEND.
At its heart, the film delivers a powerful message from young people:
"If we don’t feel safe, we can’t be expected to learn. Small things make a big difference. Every interaction has an impact, whether that’s positive or negative. We need to feel that you care."
Commenting on the achievement, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for education, Cllr Kam Kaur, said:
"We are incredibly proud of the young people from IMPACT for creating such a powerful and thought-provoking film. This award is a testament to their courage in sharing their experiences and their determination to improve educational settings for all individuals with SEND. A huge thank you also goes to Coventry University and the Film Production students for helping our young people to highlight the importance of inclusive education, putting children at the heart of all we do and understanding that one size does not fit all.”
Sanna Wicks, Course Director of BA Film Production at Coventry University, said:
“We are really pleased about the news of the award. Being part of the IMPACT project has been a rewarding experience for our team and we're proud to see our Film Production and Media Production students and all the young people involved recognised for their hard work and talent. This project has offered invaluable, real-world experience for our students, allowing them to apply their skills to meet a client’s brief. They have used the university’s professional film production equipment, honed the diverse skills acquired through their studies, and - most importantly - shown remarkable initiative and creativity. The result is a film we can all celebrate together.”
The success of ‘Wrong Size Fits All’ doesn’t stop here. The film has also been entered into the Birmingham Film Festival 2024, a prestigious event showcasing films from around the world. The winners of the Birmingham festival will be announced in November at a gala awards ceremony.
Watch IMPACT’s award-winning film here https://youtu.be/8VwhZyrX2bM?si=bkot_Y5i7TZn-yNr